The Role Of Community Engagement And Outreach Librarians

For libraries to remain a place for a lively exchange of ideas, librarians should be armed with the right knowledge and strong conviction to preserve people’s rights.

I knew my transition from an ordinary visitor to a volunteer would be a new and exciting experience. My task in the Summer Reading Program was to register patrons, explain how the program works, and give out prizes at the end of each week. The number of children who registered for the program impressed me. I enjoyed working with these children, since I knew exactly where they got their excitement from. I would look forward to seeing the smiling faces of the children as they received their prizes. Their faces made me reminisce about the joyful moments I had as a child when I couldn't wait for the grand prize week of the Summer Reading Program.

Inclusive school librarianship has been my passion since my sophomore year of high school and I have maintained this commitment by working as an elementary library media center assistant. My experience as a library media center assistant at a multicultural metropolitan school has facilitated my ability to foster inclusiveness among students from diverse backgrounds due to working at a Title One school that is predominately Latino. I have contributed towards the development of accessible and diverse media centers for underserved populations through creating and promoting book displays for events such as National Hispanic Heritage Month and National Native American Heritage Month. Another way that I have promoted accessible and equitable library media centers is by assisting students and teachers with locating materials and processing interlibrary loans in fulfilling their information

The process I used to create the advocacy video provides evidence of how my core values as a school librarian can positively affect the students and teachers around me. Based on the Texas Education Agency’s SBEC School Librarians Standards for the initial Preparation of School Librarians the following standards were met:

The U.S. population is shifting and minorities such as the Hispanic race will soon exceed all other races in our country. We librarians have a duty to introduce our younger generation of minorities to our profession and begin chaining the view for U.S. minorities to have a better understanding of our profession. By doing this we can begin to change the perspective of our profession and to help ensure that more future minorities enter our profession.

My work with the Freehold Public Library has been a huge part of my life, as I have volunteered there since I was 12 years old. I have grown up with the library, and my experiences with the library, whether it as a volunteer or a customer, are very important to me. I started volunteering for summer programs at the library. I then joined the Teen Library Committee and did service projects for the community as a part of it throughout the year. I also encouraged my brother and a friend to join the Teen Library Committee with me. As a part of this group, I have been able to do service projects for a wide variety of causes, such as making food for a local soup kitchen, making dog treats to donate, and making cards for those stationed overseas or in the hospital. In 8th grade, as a part of National Junior Honor Society, I wrote a grant for the library to expand their young adult collection. I spent months talking to Mrs. Kathy about the public library system and the issues that this library faces

The Long Branch Free Public Library was established 100 years ago with a mission to enrich the lives of Long Branch residents by providing resources and opportunities for life-long learning (Long Branch Free Public Library, n.d.). Currently, the library provides a wide range of services such as a computer lab, employment center, after school youth programs, notary services, faxing, and much more. These features make this library more than just a place to get a book, and the library has been nationally recognized for its innovative services, marking a shift in the idea of what a library can be (Kelly, 2014).

I am a thirty-four-year-old United States Army veteran from Norfolk, Virginia. I received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology, and I minored in Urban Studies from Norfolk State University in 2004. I have over nine years of volunteer and paid experience with the Norfolk Public Library in Norfolk, Virginia. Currently, I am a Library Associate at the Blyden Branch Library in Norfolk, Virginia. As a Library Associate, I serve on the reference desk, and I answer basic reference questions. Also, I assist patrons by locating materials on the shelves and providing help with the use of equipment such as computers, the fax machine, and the scanner. I suggest reading materials for patrons of all ages. In addition, I check out and discharge books and DVDs, reserve material requests, register new patrons, coordinate interlibrary loans and collect fees. I prepare statistical reports, order supplies, process library holds, distribute library materials, and process lost and damaged materials. Additionally, I open mail and ensure that the office equipment is functioning properly. Previously, I worked for the Norfolk Public School system as a Substitute Teacher for middle and high school grade levels. I tutored disabled students during my internship at Norfolk State University. I have a passion for helping others which is my biggest strength.

There are an enormous amount of people in the United States that depend on the librarian to do different tasks that they cannot do. Patrons may think it is simple, but before you can become a librarian you have to learn how to conquer some patrons that come in, you have to learn how to work the desk and learn how to work the shelves.

My objective is to become a certified school library information specialist. Taking into consideration my extensive background in bilingual education and the instruction received at TWU, I believe I would be able to make a difference in the school community. In my current position as librarian of record in an elementary school, I have the opportunity to practice the abilities learned during the completion of my master’s degree. I plan and implement collaborative lessons with other educators. I teach my students technology skills and web 2.0 tools. I am an active member of the leadership team and help integrate the educational curriculum throughout the school. I am improving my collection development skills in order to adapt my collection

Long, M. (2007). School media librarians as transformational leaders (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. (UMI No. 329321)

While I was helping out at the library, I realized just how many resources we have available to us students. I also noticed that most students didn’t even know about them, much less how to access them. We had numerous events such as a computer coding workshop (for people of all ages) which I would have gone to if it wasn’t for it being during one of my classes. I was also surprised to find that many of the librarians went to the events. One resource for example, is the online librarian chat where you can ask for help in finding sources, which was especially helpful

After high school I struggled through numerous retail jobs. As fate would have it however, my wife would introduce me to someone who worked with the Chicago Public Library. I was able to land a job as a CyberNavigator, assisting patrons with technological issues and promoting digital literacy. During my time as a CyberNavigator, I worked in numerous underprivileged communities where I spent most of my time helping patrons find jobs online or applying for financial assistance through the government websites. Connecting with numerous organizations in the community, I established my library as a center in the community where patrons could actively come to find assistance on a number of digital literacy issues. I finally felt a sense of pride in my work and it prepared me for my future endeavors in civic engagement.

I was asked to become a Junior Leader for UNC Hospitals’ summer high school volunteers. Out of 1,400 candidates, I, along with nine other volunteers, were chosen to guide new high school volunteers through their summer volunteering experience. Prior to that, we prepared an orientation for the volunteers and interviewed them. Some of the volunteers I lead were hand selected by

Since their establishment, libraries have served as a gateway to knowledge and services that revolutionized the way the public attains information. Unlike many other institutions, public libraries have grown and evolved along with society by adopting new technology and offering resources tailored to the needs of their local community.